Wedge testing



y 6, 1952 H. A. REECE 2,595,295

WEDGE TESTING Filed June 15, 1950 INVENTOR. HERBERT AREEQE.

ATTORNEY.

Patented May 6, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I 2,595,295 *wnnon TESTING Herbert A. Reece, Cleveland Heights, Ohio Application June 15,1950, SerialNo.-1 68,246

9Claims. (o1. 75-+130)- long'and of wedge-shaped cross-section is pouredthe-ladle of iron, rsincelthe-ladle man-has to await from the iron, this wedge-shaped casting having an acute angle at its apex, which angle, as well as the dimension of the back face of the wedge, may vary. After the wedge-shaped casting is poured and has been cooled, it is broken in twotransversely so that the carbide balancemay be observed on the broken surface of the casting at the line of demarcation between the metal of white appearance and the metalof gray appearance. The width measured across the broken surface of the wedge-shaped casting at the line of demarcation between the white portion of the wedge and the grayportion of the wedgeis an indication of the section of casting which may be poured with the particular ladle of iron tested. Asfor instance, if the white portion of the Wedge;

measures %2 then any casting of less than section will be white and unmachinable while any casting of more than section will be gray and machinable' and a casting section between and 4" will be mottled (composed of both white iron and gray iron).

The wedge test is said to have been originated by'John Shaw, of England, about 1911, and is referred to'in an article by O.'Smalley on page 491 of volume 37 (1929) of the Transaction'of the American Foundrymens Association. The wedges 'or wedge-shaped castings are made in various sizes, the most beneficial angles, for gener'algrayiron castings, being 28, 26 and 16. The varying of the angle makes the wedge responsive to many sections to be cast, as for instance, when the combined properties of strength and machinability'are sought, the 28 or the 26 wedge portion maybe used. When the property sought is solely machinability, the 16 wedge portion may be-used and when hardness and wear resistance is desired in the casting, the 26 wedge portions 'may be used for metal control test purposes.

One of the principal difliculties in the use of the wedge test has been the cost of the Wedges. It is the usual practice to pour two Wedges of different sizes and angularities, since if only a light wedge is poured, this wedge may prove to be all white and therefore unmeasurable, as when an improper amount of hardening agent or graphitizing agent has been used. In some cases, three wedges have to be poured.

.The necessity of thus pouring two or more wedges causes a delay or delays in the pouring of approval of' pouring, based, on the tests. Thus, if .the. first wedge brokenis unmeasurable, the iron control'manmust break a second wedge 'to determine the measurement of the white portion,

'in'casea hardening agent is usedpor the: gray portion, in case a graphitizing agentis used, or

the measurement betweenwhite and gray in case acombination of hardener and graphitizer is used.

The present invention has as its primary object improvements in the wedge test, which are designed to overcome the 'difiiculties and disadvantages hereinabove described, and to -facilitate pourofi of the iron with a minimum of delay.

Another object of theinvention is to,- provide improvements in the wedge test, which are designed to produce accurate, dependable, test results, eiiect a savings in the amount of iron used for the test, and reduce the costof the tests from "the viewpoint of labor and time required for the tests.

A further object of the'invention is toprovide a wedge test piece of novel contour and design.

A still further object" of the invention "is to provide an anvil of novel design for use in conjunctionwith such test piece.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, and in which like'numerals are employed to designate likeparts throughout the same,

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a typical test piece embodying the novel features of the invention;

Fig.2 is a top plan view of the testpiece; Fig. 3 is a rear elevational view of'the test side; Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view, taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view, takenon the line 5-5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a'crcss-sectionalview, taken on the line 66 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of an anvil embodyflared head l, a portion 2 immediatelybelo'w'the head, of uniform cross-section, which is desirable for heavy castings,- a portion 3 below thepor'tion 2, oi uniform cross-sectionwhich is desirable ing from the diiferences in the dimensions of the back faces and the differences in the angularities of the wedges.

Referring to Fig. 7 of the drawings, there is shown an anvil or block of iron having slots or passageways 5, 6 and 1, extending therethrough, slightly larger in cross-section'than the portions 2, 3 and 4, respectively, of the test piece for easy insertion and withdrawal of the test wedge.

The portion of the test piece to be broken is slipped into its corresponding slot or passageway in the anvil to a depth equivalent to one-half of the length of that portion of the test piece,

and is hit with a hammer, after'which the de-' sired reading or measurement is taken by observation of the fracture. By having the slots or passageways extending entirely through the anvil from front to rear, a punch may be used from the rear to eject the broken wedge section. The anvil should be firmly anchored in a suitable base.

If the" broken section fails to give the desired information, it is a simple matter to easily and quickly insert one or both of the other portions of the test piece into the anvil or block, and obtain fractures for measurement of the degree of graphitization or hardening.

By thus pouring a single test piece with sections or portions of different angularities and dimensions corresponding to; those considered most beneficial for the particular iron which is being produced, a saving in the amount of iron and number of cores used for the test is effected, as well as a reduction in the labor and time required for the tests, as a result of which delays are reduced to a minimum, and pouroff of the molten iron is greatly speeded. The test, more over, produces accurate, dependable, results.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention, herewith shown and described, is to be taken as a preferred example of the same,-and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the subjoincd claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. The method of controlling the carbide balance-in the production of castings from molten iron, which comprises pouring from the iron a single test specimen consisting of a plurality of standard wedges of difierent cross-sectional area and different angularity at the wedge edge, permitting the specimen to become solidified, severing the test specimen transversely of one of the wedges for observation of the carbide balance in said wedge. and similarly severing as many of the other wedges as necessary for observation of the carbide balance therein, if the first wedge fails to reveal the desired information, and adjusting the composition of the molten iron in accordance with the revelation of the specimen to obtain the desired properties in the castings.

2. The method, as defined in claim 1, in which the wedges are in end to end arrangement, with the back faces of all of the wedges coplanar.

3. The method. as defined in claim 2, in which the wedge edges of the wedges are out of alignment with each other.

4. The method, as defined in claim 3, in which the wedges are in vertical tier arrangement, each 4 wedge having a portion overhanging the wedge edge of the wedge immediately therebelow.

5. The method, as defined in claim 1, in which said adjustment comprises adjusting the degree of graphitization or hardening of the molten iron. V

6. The method of controlling the carbide balance in the production of castings from molten iron, which comprises pouring from the iron a single test specimen consisting of a plurality of standard wedges of different cross-sectional area and different angularity at the wedge edge, permitting the specimen to become solidified, severing the test specimen transversely of at least one of the wedges for observation of the carbide balance in said wedge, and adjusting the composition or the molten iron in accordance with the revelation of the specimen to obtain the desired properties in the castings.

7. The method of controlling the carbide balance in the production of castings from molten iron, which comprises pouring from the iron a single test specimen of elongated form and of substantially triangular varying from a minimum at the lower end of the specimen to a maximum at the upper end of the specimen, the specimen having a fiat rear face and a wedge edge remote from said rear face, the angularity of said wedge edge varying from the lower end of the specimen to the upper end of the specimen, permitting the specimen to become solidified, severing the test specimen transversely at one point of its length for observation of the carbide balance at this point,

and similarly severing the specimen transversely at as many other points of its length as necessary for observation of the carbide balance therein, if the observation at the first point fails to reveal the desired information, and adjusting the composition of the molten iron in accordance with the revelation of the specimen to obtain the desired properties in the castings.

8. The method, as defined in claim 7, in whic 1 said adjustment comprises adjusting the degree of graphitization or hardening of the molten iron.

9. The method of controlling the carbide balanc in the production of castings from molten' iron, which comprises pouring from the iron a single test specimen of elongated form and of substantially triangular cross-section from top to bottom thereof, with the cross-sectional area varying from a minimum at the lower end of the specimen to a maximum atthe upper end of the specimen, the specimen having a flat rear face, and a wedge edge remote from said rear face, the angularity of said wedge edge varying from the lower end of the specimen to the upper end of the specimen, permitting the specimen to become solidified, severing the specimen transversely at at least one point of its length for observation of the carbide balance therein, and,

adjusting the composition of the molten iron in accordance with the revelation of the specimen to obtain the desired properties in the castings. HERBERT A. REECE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,359,044 McBride Sept. 26, 1944 2,371,654 Smalley Mar. 20, 1945 2,378,992 Franks June 26, 1945 cross-sectional area 

1. THE METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE CARBIDE BALANCE IN THE PRODUCTION OF CASTINGS FROM MOLTEN IRON, WHICH COMPRISES POURING FROM THE IRON A SINGLE TEST SPECIMEN CONSISTING OF A PLURALITY OF STANDARD WEDGES OF DIFFERENT CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA AND DIFFERENT ANGULARITY AT THE WEDGE EDGE, PERMITTING THE SPECIMEN TO BECOME SOLIDIFIED, SEVERING THE TEST SPECIMEN TRANSVERSELY OF ONE OF THE WEDGES FOR OBSERVATION OF THE CARBIDE BALANCE IN SAID WEDGE, AND SIMILARLY SEVERING AS MANY OF THE OTHER WEDGES AS NECESSARY FOR OBSERVATION OF THE CARBIDE BALANCE THEREIN, IF THE FIRST WEDGE FAILS TO REVEAL THE DESIRED INFORMATION, AND ADJUSTING THE COMPOSITION OF THE MOLTEN IRON IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE REVELATION OF THE SPECIMEN TO OBTAIN THE DESIRED PROPERTIES IN THE CASTINGS. 